FT competition invites students to solve business challenges

Oct. 30, 2018

30 October 2018: This week the Financial Times hosted its inaugural FT Talent Challenge. The three-day competition brought together applicants from 18 countries to solve business and strategic challenges relating to the digital media industry.

Attracting individuals from a range of universities and organisations, the competition supports the FT’s aim of reaching a diverse talent pool. The 50 participants, with backgrounds in technology, economics, data science, humanities, social sciences and finance, were selected from more than 450 applicants.

Teams were allocated an FT mentor to provide support throughout the process, and the final ideas were presented to a panel of FT judges. The winning pitch came from team 1A (MindtheGap), whose idea focused on a time-limited pass to FT.com for new users.

Jon Slade, FT chief commercial officer, said: “The purpose of the FT Talent Challenge is twofold: firstly, we want to create an environment where participants can get together to think about how to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the media industry, meet senior FT leaders and build their own networks. And secondly, we want to meet those talented participants! Great, fresh ideas are always welcome, and this is a terrific way to engage with a generation of bright minds.

“The winning pitch had a very well-presented commercial argument which clearly outlined the product problem and the customer benefit. And overall I know all the judges and mentors were seriously impressed by the quality of the ideas and the energy of the competing teams.”

About the Financial Times
The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. The FT marks 130 years in 2018 with a record paying readership of more than 940,000, three-quarters of which are digital subscriptions. It is part of Nikkei Inc., which provides a broad range of information, news and services for the global business community.